Monsters of Television

Devon: “Is that your spy training?”
Chuck: “Duck Hunt. Nintendo.”

Angie Harmon can tip me over the side of the building anytime. Unless she really intends to drop me. That would be a real mixed blessing.

My initial reaction to this episode was relatively harsh compared to the other reviews I’m reading. And maybe they have a point. I tend to be a little harder on Chuck but only out of love. The cast, the situations, the chemistry could make this show a flaming diaster but the combinations are all right and the show works, even deigning to attain emotional peaks some shows can only hope for. Just look at how dedicated the fanbase is and imagine if it was on a network people actually watched. However, it needs to continue and even aim higher. Seth Meyers might have been joking about the pressure on Chuck, but, since NBC is run by crazed carnie junkies who will slash and hack at their schedule with reckless and self-destructive abandon, the show can’t wander. I want to see Chuck persevere.

So let’s give this thing another shot.

Captain Awesome is strapped to an office chair on the top of a tall building. Angie Harmon is there (going by the name Sydney) in a little black number tipping him precariously off the edge trying to get him to say — I don’t know. Maybe admit that he’s a spy? But Devon is not a spy, even if hot girls tell him otherwise.

Meanwhile, it’s Casey’s turn to utter a series motif (“Don’t freak out”) while he, Chuck, and Sarah work together on trying to find Devon. Chuck, of course, is freaking out. The whining for Chuck this season has been taken to an astronomic level, almost to a point that I think we’re supposed to recognize that he’s whining and crying more than usual. Beckman’s line earlier this season about Sarah no longer protecting Chuck from the world but protecting the world from Chuck is starting to mesh with his emotions getting in the way of operating the Intersect. Maybe him being an emotional wreck all the time is the only thing keeping us from being destroyed by the sheer awesomeness of the Intersect’s potential. Oh, right. Awesome.

So they can’t find Awesome and, because Bartowski is of no help, the agents send Chuck to work. There, Morgan is being offered the position of Ass-Man, mostly out of nepotism since Big Mike is diddling Morgan’s mom but substantiated by some sort of extra-show demonstration of maturity. Morgan accepts. Meanwhile, Chuck is still freaking out about Devon when Jeff and Lester approach him with an eternal question: who would win in a fight – JCVD or Law-Man Seagal. The Intersect is on overload right now with his adrenaline running high (he freaks out on a customer in Korean) so, when Lester pokes him, the ninja comes out and kicks him in the face. Lester goes down and Sarah tries to get him out of the store, away from people. That’s when Awesome shows up.

“And you will know that my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee — with a tranq gun.”

The roundtable in Castle now includes Awesome (an addition which Beckman seems to have no problem with) and they start hashing out the details: Sydney is a recruiter for The Ring: LA and, no doubt on a tip from the not-killed assassin from the last episode, Devon is her next target. Beckman feels this is a prime opportunity to use Awesome as bait to get inside The Ring and, understandably, Chuck isn’t keen on the idea. Try as he might to puff out that pocket protector, the badges and medals on Beckman’s chest are far heavier. Sarah convinces him it’s the only way and Chuck convinces Awesome it’s going to be okay.

At the store, Lester approaches Chuck with the massive bruise on his face from being kicked but offers his gratitude. He felt alive from being hit, like a man. Group that with Jeff’s insistance that Chuck hit him as hard as he can and we can see a Fight Club B-Story coming. The problem is that, at first glance, the B-Story doesn’t really weave very well with the A-Story. It’s funny and all but usually B-Story mirrors or connects to A-Story somehow. Here it’s not very apparent. But more on that later.

Ellie’s small role in this episode is playing the worried wife that Devon has to lie to in order to keep his cover. Shameful. I appreciate them fleshing out Awesome a little bit can we please not make Ellie into a nag monster?

That night, Chuck is freaking out about how he doesn’t want his brother-in-law to be part of this mission but his handlers convince him that now he is the one that has to be the handler: calm and confident. Chuck is unsure about his ability to do that (surprise surprise) just as Awesome gets a package from Sydney, a Bluetooth earpiece that’s already synched up with the fancy Ring phone Sydney gave him. Sydney calls and gives him a mission: infiltrate a building and await instructions. Oh, and the earpiece is an explosive device that blows if he takes it off. Handy that thing.

Despite his spy-worthy looks, Devon is a nervous wreck that doesn’t think too quickly under pressure. That’s one of the things oft overlooked with Chuck: despite the fact that he’s nerdy and not exactly worldly, the young man is generally quick on his feet, even if he is a bit clumsy when he gets there. So, when Devon is in trouble with his first obstacle, Chuck rushes in to save the day and guides him through Sydney’s instructions. Doing this to save his brother suddenly makes him confident because he has to be. And, of course, now the Intersect works at will, allowing him to shoot foes from long distances (with a tranq gun, of course) and other feats of spydom. Seeing Chuck grow up is sort of a relief. This is what we’ve hoped he would be this season: still Chuck but a little more confident, a little less whiny, and, finally, accepting the fact that he is capable if still a novice.

Brandon Routh is contractually obligated to stand mightily with his hands on his hips for 30% of his screen time in all projects.

They reach the floor Sydney instructed them to reach but the giant CIA seal on the floor tells Chuck (without the Intersect even telling him) that they are in a CIA installation. Sarah and Casey are about to leap into action but General Beckman dials in and tells them to stand down. Something is afoot.

Sydney wants Devon to kill the dude on that floor. Chuck tells Devon to wait in the hall as Chuck goes in. And, lo and behold — it’s Superman. Well, it’s Brandon Routh and he’s not wearing his underwear on the outside of his pants but I’m going to call him Supes because I like how it sounds. So Supes knows all about Chuck. And the Ring. Chuck wants to know what the Ring wants. Supes says they have everything. A little disconcerting. Supes wants Chuck to kill him but not in a real way but the spy way where Chuck shoots him in the shoulder and Supes eats a pill that makes him appear dead despite the gunshot wound nowhere near any vital organs. Chuck can’t pull the trigger so Supes does it himself. Devon comes in, confirms Supes is dead, and picks up the gun. Chuck tells Devon to cop to killing him and hides. Sydney arrives, pleased with Awesome’s work, and disengages the bomb. Test over and Awesome passed. Chuck reads the note Supes left in case of totally-planned fake death, telling them the location of the antidote that brings him back to life. It works. Supes comes back to life and immediately introduces himself. His name is Shaw (I’m 90% sure this time). But I’m going to stick with Superman. Because that’s who he is.

Back in Castle, Supes is playing with a Zippo (Oh! That’s the dude from before sitting on Beckman’s desk!) while Team Chuck gets debriefed: Supes is the top agent in charge of all missions having to do with The Ring and is up-to-date on everything Team Chuck is doing (yes, including all the Intersect stuff). His plan is to use Devon as a mole. Chuck is not okay with that despite all logic to the contrary (surprise surprise). Supes asks if Chuck has a better plan. The look on Chuck’s face just before the transition suggests that he doesn’t but soon will.

I wonder what sad, pathetic alter ego Lester is the the alternate for.

Oh, hey, B-Story. I remember you. Morgan in the Buy More wants to know where all the employees are. He goes to the back and finds them in the cage busting each other up while Lester stands to the side doing his best Tyler Durden impression. Morgan breaks it up but obviously Lester’s Project Mayhem is to thwart the establishment Morgan has just become a part of. Morgan goes to Chuck while Chuck is hacking into the Ring’s phone (seriously, for something that looks so high tech you’d think they would work on security and durability a little bit). They have a short conversation that vaguely ties their worlds together with advice that should help them both: dissect the problem and attack its weak points. Morgan runs off to enact his plan while Chuck is given the opportunity to enact his: he calls Sydney and tells her he is the spy she’s looking for.

Sydney and some henchmen show up at the Buy More and Chuck calls Sarah and Casey for back up. Supes tells them no; Chuck got himself into this mess and now he has to get himself out. And, of course, the Intersect is suddenly no help. He runs and hides. Sarah and Casey get the better of Supes and get out of Castle to save Chuck. They handle the henchmen just fine but Sydney knocks Sarah around and escapes out the back door. Chuck chases her, gun in hand, and tells her to stop. She knows Chuck isn’t going to shoot her though and spins a distraction while preparing a knife to throw at him. But just before she tosses it — up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! Pay attention off screen! Sydney spits out some blood capsules as she keels over, revealing Supes the Shooter behind her. Probably would’ve been smarter to just take her down so you could interrogate her. But, you know. Whatever.

Supes wants to give Chuck a stern talking to for keeping a family around to put in danger. He wants some back up from Sarah but, as we all know, Sarah’s a little soft when it comes to Chuck (or hard or — you know — nevermind) and doesn’t agree with him. Supes scowls and walks away.

Mercifully, let’s put this B-Story to bed. Lester is challenging Ass-Man Morgan but, with some encouragement from Big Mike, Morgan stands up to him and fires him for his insubordination. Lester cries about it and Morgan gives him his job back on a probationary basis. Crisis averted. As you were, people.

Wardrobe by Blue’s Clues

Dinner at Chuck and Morgan’s. Morgan makes sushi (I’m glad they’re carrying that over), Chuck tells Devon he’s no longer marked, and there’s yet another moment to remind us that, even though it’s not center stage, Chuck and Sarah totally like-like each other. The gang’s all here. Except Supes who, in Castle, puts on a wedding band (but — didn’t he just say — that — aw, forget it).

So Chuck and Morgan both grew up a little in this episode and, though it wasn’t spectacularly inspired, the episode got the message across. I still stand by my opinion that this could’ve been better. But maybe it wasn’t as bad as I originally thought. With the Devon as a Spy story arc gone, I’m looking forward to this season really getting started.

Watch this episode: “Chuck vs Operation Awesome”